Companies in India are looking for talent outside the country to fuel growth, with 77% of firms surveyed by Deel stating that they plan to increase global hiring over the next 12-18 months. It noted that Indian companies are willing to pay more for the right talent from higher-income economies.
The report found there is a shift in how Indian companies are structuring their workforce, as “access to specialised , proximity to customers, and round-the-clock operations” become key drivers of international expansion. “The findings underscore that for Indian companies, going global is a talent and market-access strategy, not a cost play,” it stated.
Rakesh Gaur, Head of Sales for India at Deel noted that while Indian companies want to scale globally, “managing compliance across fragmented systems isn’t just inefficient – it’s a liability. The ones that win will consolidate their operations onto a platform built for global growth.”
Over quarter of workforce already global for 54% firms
- Deel surveyed 1,008 decision-makers and leaders across seven major Indian cities, among who, more than half — 54% said that over a quarter of their workforce is already based outside India.
- Further, another 58% of respondents said they operate in four or more countries, with 20% operating in over 10 countries.
- 34% of respondents said access to specialised or emerging is their top reason for hiring globally, followed by 33% who hire to be closer to customers and local markets, and 20% who cite the ability to run 24/7 operations.
- Skills gap, revenue-critical roles: Around nine in ten (89%) of companies hiring globally are looking for advanced technology and engineering talent, such as core developers, AI/ML specialists, and R&D professionals.
- This is followed by and business development (80%) and product and design (45%).
- North America remains the top destination for Indian companies’ global workforces, cited by 36% of respondents, ahead of Europe/UK (27%) and APAC (21%).
- This suggests employers are willing to pay more to hire the right talent from high-income economies for roles that directly influence roadmap and revenue, the report added.
Compliance, not cost, the biggest issue
- Compliance, not cost, has emerged as the biggest obstacle to scaling, the report added. Three quarters (76%) of respondents cite compliance and administrative burden, not the of expansion, as their primary challenge.
- Among companies that experienced delays in their global expansion, the biggest causes were local entity setup taking longer than expected (42%), followed by visa, immigration or work permit delays (31%), , tax or statutory filing errors (27%), and internal system or process gaps caused by manual or disconnected tools (25%).
- Seven in ten (70%) companies say compliance-related delays pushed back a product or market launch, while 67% report strain on leadership time, team morale or company reputation.
- Nearly six in ten (59%) experienced delayed because new hires were not productive on time, 49% lost or delayed a deal, contract or project, and 38% incurred additional legal, remediation or unplanned costs.
- Meanwhile, fragmented operations are slowing global growth. Nearly half (46%) of companies use a central HR system but still manage global payroll manually, and 44% juggle between two to five separate HR or workforce platforms to manage their international teams.
- Employer of Record (EOR) solutions are emerging as the default strategy for Indian companies scaling internationally, with 34% already using an EOR model, while another 24% use a mix of models, combining EOR, contractors, and owned entities, depending on the country and role.
- Among companies already using an EOR, the benefits are clear: 40% say it saves them both time and cost, and a further 35% say it primarily saves time.
The survey was conducted across Delhi/NCR, , Bengaluru, Chennai, Hyderabad, Pune, and Kochi, spanning sectors including IT, BFSI and fintech, telecom and technology services, healthcare, retail, education, media, entertainment and gaming, and professional services.
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